I had to make an emergency run to the garden center today because I realized I didn't have any 'Green Arrow' peas to plant. I plant peas on St. Patrick's Day, always. Well, always for the past ten years or so. And always 'Green Arrow'. And then they didn't have 'Green Arrow' at the garden center I went to. So I bought 'Wando' and 'Provision #9'. Then I remembered I had a small packet of 'Green Arrow' at home after all. But was it going to be enough? I went to another store … [Read more...] about A new season begins in The Vegetable Garden Cathedral
vegetable garden
How I order seeds for my garden
Vegetables to enjoy in season I try to order most of my vegetable garden seeds in the middle of January. I've been ordering seeds for one garden or another since I was a teenager and took over ordering seeds for my dad. Back then, I spent hours studying the seeds catalogs, reading all the descriptions and making suggestions on the seeds we should order. My dad, as I recall, usually agreed with my choices. Now I mostly order seeds by memory, by feel, which means I don't make lists. I … [Read more...] about How I order seeds for my garden
Garlic! And the garden is looking good.
Part of my garlic harvest We are now safe from vampires here at May Dreams Gardens, with plenty of garlic to keep them far, far away from here. And what a fine day it was for digging the garlic and otherwise tending the vegetable garden. Clear blue skies, moderate temperatures... a day made for gardening. I spent most of this fine day weeding in the vegetable garden, channeling Charles Dudley Warner as I pulled up that awful "pusley". It grows in all the raised beds and is probably at least … [Read more...] about Garlic! And the garden is looking good.
The Pea Family Showed Up This Week
I was standing out in the garden and noticed I was surrounded by blooms from the pea family of plants. My initial thought was, "oh good, the Leguminosae family has arrived. Oh wait, not Leguminosae like I learned in college, now it's Fabaceae. Leguminosae, Fabaceae, does it really matter-a? Maybe not. What matters is their blooms have shown up in my garden. The common peas, Pisum sativum, started blooming earlier this week in the Vegetable Garden Cathedral. I'm growing the variety 'Green … [Read more...] about The Pea Family Showed Up This Week
If it isn’t producing, it’s reducing
I have a new saying for my vegetable garden. If it isn't producing, it's reducing. In years gone by, I planted out my vegetable garden starting in early spring with peas, lettuce, and other cool season crops. Then after I felt pretty sure we wouldn't have another frost, I planted the rest of the garden with tomatoes, peppers, squash, corn, and other warm season crops. Then I'd pick and enjoy the cool season crops. Then I'd pick and enjoy the warm season crops. Then at the end of the … [Read more...] about If it isn’t producing, it’s reducing
The pleasure of growing vegetables
Life is good in my vegetable garden, duly named The Vegetable Garden Cathedral. In a few days, I'll be picking shelling peas and there are snow peas ready to pick now. Long-time readers, I mean from way back in the early days of my blog, in the "aughts", know for shelling peas, I swear by the variety 'Green Arrow'. Check that. I shouldn't swear in a place I call a cathedral, should I? I'll just say I believe 'Green Arrow' is the best variety of shelling peas, so I always grow it. The … [Read more...] about The pleasure of growing vegetables
